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Cooley Law Professor Gerald A. Fisher and Michigan Municipal League’s Samantha Harkins Testify About Medical Marijuana Bills During Senate Judiciary Committee HearingImage by Michigan Municipal League (MML)
The Michigan Municipal League attended the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee Meeting Tuesday (June 21, 2011) in support of bills relating to Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA). Samantha Harkins, legislative associate for state affairs for the League, testified, along with Gerald A. Fisher, professor of law at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and author of a white paper for Michigan communities about the medical marijuana issue. Following the hearing, the committee reported two bills (SB 377 and SB 418) amending the Medical Marijuana Act. Senate Bill 377 (http://legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billintroduced/Senate/pdf/2011-SIB-0377.pdf) would give law enforcement officers access to patient information to allow officers to verify that an individual as a patient. Senate Bill 418 (http://legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2011-SFA-0418-S.pdf) prohibits a private cause of action under the MMMA against the state or a local unit of government. Stay up to date on this issue and read more about it on the League’s Inside 208 blog here (http://www.mml.org/advocacy/inside208/). Harkins testified that the League supports the revised legislation, but said additional clarifications are needed. The medical marijuana law, since approved by voters in November of 2008, has been a challenge for Michigan communities and League members trying to enforce the law. Fisher recommended an additional change to one of the bills that would make it more clear. Go here (http://www.mml.org/resources/information/mi-med-marihuana.html) to the League’s medical marijuana resource page to view sample medical marijuana ordinances. Go here (http://www.mml.org/resources/information/mi-med-marihuana-newspage.html) to review recent news articles on the subject.